Formerly furloughed worker attends State of the Union

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - D.C. native Faye Smith made an impression on a lot of people when she spoke about being furloughed with no back pay from her Smithsonian job. She attended the State of the Union as a guest of D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norten Tuesday night.

“To attend the State of the Union, it's historic for one thing and I am just so proud to be here as a D.C. resident,” Smith said. “And I’m just hoping and praying that when (President Trump) comes to the floor tonight, he'll have some positive things for us here in D.C.”

Since we last spoke to Smith, good news has continued to come her way. After she spoke about fear of losing her apartment, a GoFundMe page for her raised thousands of dollars.

“I’m four months ahead of my rent now,” she said. “So I really appreciate everyone for supporting me and helping me out this time. I just pray that President Trump do not shut the government down again.”

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollin also a furloughed worker to the State of the Union. Lila Johnson says she has worked as a custodian with the Department of Agriculture for 21 years.